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Entylia carinata

Entylia carinata


Family: Membracidae
Order: Hemiptera
Class: Insecta
Phylum / Division: Arthropoda
Kingdom: Animalia

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Description


Entylia carinata, commonly known as the keeled treehopper, is a species of treehopper in the family Membracidae. They can be found in Brazil, Panama, Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Keeled treehoppers are often attended by ants which feed on the honeydew they excrete. In return, the ants offer protection from predators. Keeled treehoppers typically feed on plants in the aster family and they are not known to transmit plant diseases and are not considered significant plant pests.

Life cycle: As adults, keeled treehoppers spend the winter months in leaf litter and debris, finally emerging in March. They begin to reproduce and implant their eggs on aster leafs. During this time of year plants produce vulnerable growth and soft tissues which make it an optimal time to embed their eggs. Occasionally the laid eggs cause the leaf to fold over, forming a protected environment for the nymphs to develop in once they hatch.

Behavior: Keeled treehoppers mothers exhibit parental care and spend time protecting their egg masses. They are phloem feeders, and their diet consists of liquids extracted from plants. Plant sap, while a convenient material to feed on, is lacking in many different nutrients including essential amino acids. Because their food source is so nutrient poor, keeled treehoppers rely on obligate bacterial symbionts in specialized organs to supplement their diet.

Host plants: Keeled treehoppers can be found on plants such as asters, baccharis, fleabane, goldenrod, sunflowers, oaks, dogwood, solanum, dahlias, and many more. However, they exhibit a preference for plants in the family Asteraceae.

Geographic distribution: These insects can be found in Canada, the eastern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Morphology: Keeled treehoppers have unique saddle shaped keels, and are small and brown. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, females are typically 1/4 of an inch (6.35 mm) long with more pronounced keels while males are smaller, and their keels less noticeable. On occasion, males appear so different that they are misidentified.

Symbiosis: Like many other species in the family Membracidae, keeled treehoppers have ant-tending mutualism. Ants care for both nymphs and adults. The ant species known to live symbiotically with keeled treehoppers are Camponotus ferrugineus, Formica subsericea, Prenolepis imparis, Tapinoma sessile, and Camponotus pennsylvanicus. Ants feed on treehopper honeydew and assist the treehoppers fending off predators and facilitating feeding. Honeydew feeding not only benefits ants, but also prevents nymphs from becoming trapped in the sticky material and sooty molds from growing on the host plants.

Source: Wikipedia, article Entylia carinata. Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Accessed on 17/07/2026.





Geographic distribution


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Species photographs

Count: 3

Foto
Photography ID: 354872
  Adult

Sauce Viejo
Santa Fe
Argentina
09/30/2019
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 328011
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
11/19/2018
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 250955
 
Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
12/22/2017
Eduardo Beltrocco


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Species records

Count: 4



Page 1 of 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
233492401/08/202512:33ArgentinaSanta FeReserva Ecológica Ciudad Universitaria UNL (RECU), Santa Fe1Gustavo Fernando Durán
110729930/09/2019ArgentinaSanta FeCamino del Indio Hostel, Sauce ViejoEduardo Beltrocco
123483219/11/2018ArgentinaSanta FeSarmiento y Centenario, Santo ToméEduardo Beltrocco
146482422/12/2017ArgentinaSanta FeSarmiento y Centenario, Santo ToméEduardo Beltrocco
Page 1 of 1

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Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. Entylia carinata – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 14/09/2026.